Although the art of Eduoard Manet was often rooted in references
to the history of art, his subjects - parks, cafés, racetracks -
were usually quite modern. Jesus Mocked by the Soldiers
represents a foray into religious imagery that was rare for Manet
(and for his peers in the French avant-garde). Its theme, heroic
scale, and dark colors related it to Old Master paintings. Its
treatment, however, reflects Manet's usual daring, his flouting of
convention. Here, the viewer is confronted with a very human,
vulnerable Jesus whose fate is no longer his to determine.
Manet depicted the moment when Jesus' captors have
mocked the "king of the Jews" by crowning him with thorns and
covering him with a purple robe. Although this taunting is
followed by beatings, according to Gospel narrative, Manet's three
earthy and contemporary-looking soldiers appear ambivalent as they
surround the pale, stark figure of Jesus. One gazes at him, one
kneels in apparent homage, and one holds the purple cloak in such
a way as to suggest that he wishes to cover Christ's nakedness,
rather than strip him. Manet's use of stark contrasts, flat forms,
and a dark palette of t hickly applied pigment enhances this raw
and powerful impression.
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